Using traditional salt ponds, plentiful sunlight and sea breeze are needed to produce natural sun-dried salt. To produce natural sun-dried salt at traditional salt ponds, the seawater is clean and at standard salinity. The produced natural sun-dried salt is high in mineral content due to the mud used in traditional salt ponds. However, using traditional salt ponds to produce natural sun-dried salt can have several limitations. One limitation is, the salt crystallization process to produce natural sun-dried salt cannot occur after sunset and before sunrise or during inclement weather conditions, such as cloudy and rainy weather, at the traditional salt pond locations due to lack of sunlight. Another limitation is, a large surface area is needed for the shallow basins in the traditional salt ponds in order to intake plentiful sunlight throughout the surface area. Also, traditional salt ponds must be at locations where clean seawater at standard salinity is readily available. By using the present invention, however, most of the limitations for salt production in traditional salt ponds are overcome.
The present invention, the floating salt farm, can produce crystallized salt and bittern at offshore locations from extracted seawater at standard salinity using the evaporation process. Some considerations must be taken into account for choosing a location with uncontaminated seawater at standard salinity to be used for the floating salt farm. It is not viable to extract seawater in the vicinity of industrial areas or large cities where the seawater may be polluted. The seawater extracted may also not be in the vicinity of freshwater sources, such as rivers or icebergs, as it could lower seawater salinity. Also, locations with records of frequent rainfall or snow may lower seawater salinity. If these locational conditions are fulfilled, the floating salt farm would work in any weather condition and at any location.
Additionally, the floating salt farm can also run continuously at any time provided that energy sources are continuously supplied, such as with a transport vessel.
The buoyant foundation of the floating salt farm must have sufficient buoyancy and be able to support the weight of the floating salt farm components. A linked combination of different types of buoyant support structures, to support the buoyant foundation, can be used. The stability of the floating salt farm must be sufficient to withstand inclement weather conditions and hitting sea waves.
The floating salt farm components are installed on the flooring deck, in which the flooring deck is on top of the buoyant foundation.
The floating salt farm can be reinforced with offshore structures. At locations where the floating salt farm cannot be reinforced with offshore structures, the floating salt farm can have an installed motor propeller component or can be moved by towboat when transporting the floating salt farm to a certain offshore location or moving the floating salt farm to a safe location at times of inclement weather conditions.
A floating salt farm can produce various types of crystallized salt and bittern. The evaporator tank, a floating salt farm component, can be used to evaporate seawater at standard salinity to produce crystallized salt and bittern. By adjusting the heating temperature during the evaporation process, the produced crystallized salt and bittern would have different properties, such as their taste.
Also, if certain contents are placed with the seawater inside the evaporator tank during the evaporation process, the produced crystallized salt and bittern can be adjusted to have desired properties, such as color, taste, smell, and mineral composition.
To produce crystallized salt and bittern of desired quality, such as the quality of natural sun-dried salt and bittern produced in traditional salt ponds, several adjustments can be made during the evaporation process in the floating salt farm. To do so, mud, which can be the mud used in traditional salt ponds, can be placed inside the evaporator tank with the extracted seawater during the evaporation process and the heating temperature can be adjusted accordingly. Installed wind propeller components in the evaporator tank can be used to emulate the sea breeze.
Crystallized salt and bittern can be produced using seawater extracted at desired water depths, in which the extracted seawater can have desired mineral compositions. A seawater extraction vessel can be used to extract the seawater and then be delivered to the floating salt farm.
The seawater used for the evaporation process can be extracted in the proximity of volcanic sites, in which the seawater in those areas can have affected mineral compositions, due to volcanic activity. The volcano, in which has affected the mineral composition of seawater to be extracted for the evaporation process, can be an underwater volcano or a volcano on land.
The floating salt farm can be powered by renewable energy sources. The evaporation process in the floating salt farm can be powered by photovoltaic panel components, which can be installed on the floating salt farm, or offshore wind turbines.